Behind the Scenes at Calauarn

An Update, I Guess

2011-04-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

Got a minor bug worked out last week.
Files can now be read in and out.
Just have to work on that ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException that happens when I try to access map[length][width][height][0]...

Addendum

2010-12-20T02:35:00.000-08:00

Looking back at past posts, I remembered that at one point I wanted it as a web applet.

Thinking about it now, I believe it is still possible.

Webspace is cheap enough these days for me to have a sort of server-y type thing that will store all of your preferences and personalized stuff online!
This solution has some extra benefits: saves, maps, and graphics would all be accessed from one point on the web, meaning you could run your version from any computer!
This solution also has drawbacks: I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THAT STUFF.
Sockets go!

Huuuge Update

2010-12-20T02:09:00.000-08:00

Almost finished with a major rewrite of the entire program.

Features to look forwards to (if anyone is looking):
-Smaller file size! Used to be 640kb, now we're looking at about half that! *pretending anyone cares about a measly 320kb* Line-wise I went from the several thousand in version 0.1 to at most a few hundred in version 0.2!
- Smaller memory footprint! Used to be big! Now is small!
- Floating windows! :D These make me happy in general!
- Map editor/creator! Because!
- 3D View! LWJGL Go!
- No music! No distractions!
- Exclamation points!!!

Okay..., so the music one isn't a feature, but until I get the hang of OpenMPT or possibly learn to stream stuff from Bluemars, which I have become addicted to as of late and believe to fit the need quite well, there will be no audio at all. If you have any ideas along these lines PLEASE tell me. I want to have more in this game! MORE I SAY!

Floating Windows

2010-07-29T00:12:00.001-07:00

Yeah, they won't happen. Not for a while. I think a year of college-level Computer Science will help with that, so in the meantime I'm going to stick with a totally contained format. Just one window is so much easier to program. D:

:O

2010-07-07T18:07:00.000-07:00

After becoming frustrated with the whole look of the game, I've decided to change it.
Instead of a top-down text-based maze RPG, it'll be something closer to an old dungeon crawler a la Dungeon Master. I'll be keeping the whole random 3D maze aspect, and I'll probably implement a floating window system (player view in one pane, inventory in it's own pane, status in another, etc). I'm also looking for some awesome music. Maybe I'll ask Rich Vreeland if I can borrow Atebite for a bit... The alternative is to have a /music folder that just reads whatever you have in it and plays that. I guess.

Any suggestions at this point have a better chance of being implemented than later!

Hehe...

2010-04-06T19:03:00.001-07:00

Just remembered I'm supposed to be working on a game!
TEEHEE

De Buggery

2010-03-22T13:56:00.001-07:00

Have begun a log on my personal website for bugs and my notes on the game.

If anyone finds any bugs let me know and I'll add them to the directory and pester Bryan to FIXIT@#$%. :)

http://muffintime.zxq.net/calauarn-notes.htm

Not Really Related

2010-03-09T23:17:00.000-08:00

I am taking a break from programming Calauarn to work on a DnD campaign management tool for a new campaign I am about to run. It should not take too long, and it will be available for download on Chaosbubble once it is finished. Afterwards I will probably go back to developing Calauarn. Most likely.

Also, WHY IS MY APOSTROPHE KEY NOT WORKING I WANT TO USE CONTRACTIONS

Fix

2010-02-02T17:46:00.000-08:00

Fixed the map problem and stuff, no biggie.
Also, added a pretty frame so that instead of messy dirt and dark there was...well, dirt and dark.

Also

2010-02-01T20:54:00.000-08:00

I promised back in August 2009 to have it as a web applet.
Due to the structure of the new program, this will no longer be possible without losing many of the planned features, like customizable anythings.
Applets are also run in a far stricter environment than applications, and I'm afraid the new features might not have enough room to maneuver with those restrictions in place, and it might hurt browser performance.
I don't want stack overflows.
Perhaps a trimmed version will make it's way to a page somewhere, but for now it won't happen.

THE FUTURE

2010-02-01T20:49:00.000-08:00

This is what I will be implementing as soon as possible.
http://www.astrolog.org/labyrnth/hypermaz.htm

1.0.1b

2010-01-27T14:56:00.000-08:00

At Kyle's behest, I added a directional key movement system. Now you can simultaneously move with NEWS and the arrow keys. I also fixed the fact that the monsters were not initializing properly, creating an endless flood of Empty Shells of Former Selves.

YEEEEESSSSS

2010-01-26T16:55:00.000-08:00

Version 1.0b is actually working.
Jar is packaged right and everything.
Just install it in the recommended folder and all will be well!

Once Again

2010-01-23T22:06:00.000-08:00

I have managed to do something silly.
The game itself is working, but the map won't stay in the freakin jar.
I will probably end up zipping it, because this jar silliness is just frustrating.

And yes, I am an idiot.

Hi Fuzzy.

Update?!

2010-01-11T13:44:00.000-08:00

Well I'm sorry to say that Bryan here is a bit of an idiot and has managed to mispackage the .jar. He'll probably post up when it's ready again or when he's not failing anymore, take your pick. I'm failing too but life if life and it can smd.

I'm importing this blog into my Facebook notes: if you all reading this find a post not signed by me (Azura/Megann) then it's not posted by me.

I'm Megann, nice to meet you. Fuzzy here next to me says hi, and he's a C++ developer, so he's not on our team but he's pretty awesome anyway...for a C++ developer, anyway. He lets me mess with his iTouch, WOOT WOOT :3

I have an affinity for :3 it seems, and I'd also like to say that work on the game should resume soon. After grades improve for both of us. Maybe over Spring break we'll get something done, unfortunately I've been away for every freaking break so far and as such this makes it impossible for Bryan and I to get together and work. Rageface.

Maybe tonight I'll convince Mom to drop me off at his house so we can 'study' (read: work on the game).

(the sub is annoying me, RAGEE)

--Megann

You Can Haz Calauarn!

2009-12-18T23:30:00.000-08:00

W00t.
v0.9b is up if anybody wants to test it on their rig.
Also, minor homepage update.

Miscalculation

2009-12-16T21:54:00.000-08:00

Once the program actually began to work, a number of opportunities to improve the code presented themselves.
At the moment, I am taking advantage of these opportunities to create a real version 1.0.
Maybe a couple days more until its done.

Also, I'm planning to make a download version as well, one that can be completely customized via config.txt type thing. Wouldn't be hard. Slightly more difficult would be the maze, though. Perhaps an external maze editor? Just writes a matrix to a file, then reads the file (already the system in place). Gotta get the grid thingy working though...

Maybe background music? I don't know.

v1.0 Release

2009-12-16T19:28:00.000-08:00

ATTENTION:
THIS INDIVIDUAL HAS JUST EARNED THE TITLE
MOST INATTENTIVE PERSON
EVER

Seriously though.
I found the problem with the code, and got features I didn't even know were broken to work.

You see, instead of String.equals(String), I tried to use String == String. Which is a no-go.
That was the only problem so far.

On the side I made the text a bit bigger and easier to read, but now the screen is limited to 16 lines instead of the former 30.

Expect v1.0 to be up once I get Dreamweaver re-installed (curse you Ubuntu), and get the jar file compiled, and the jar uploaded, and the embedding checked, and so on so forth.

I hate Ubuntu

2009-11-23T21:57:00.000-08:00

Yes. I do.
Why?
It took my hard drive (hereto pristine and perfect) and smashed it into over 125 partitions, deleted my entire iTunes collection and my photographs (which can never be replaced, ever).
And proceeded to install 4 copies of itself everywhere it thought it could get away with.
Let's just say, thank goodness for Bill Gates.
(Oh irony of ironies), Windows Vista actually managed to salvage what was left and collect the shattered and bruised pieces of C:/ and lovingly reassemble them. Much besides the music and photos were lost.

But not the game! Yay!
Just wanted to rant.

I've Still Got Some Fight.class Left In Me...

2009-11-17T16:45:00.000-08:00

There is really only thing left to fix in the game before it is officially version 1.0.
For some reason, I am having trouble passing a String (a sequence of letters, digits, or symbols) to a method (thing the program does) in the Fight.class.

Am still working on it.

Also, good Russian Reversal I heard lately:
"In Soviet Russia, Russian Reversal reverses YOU!"

And He Springeth Up From The Bathe And Crieth, "EUREKA"!

2009-11-03T18:25:00.000-08:00

Well, that last post was certainly quite pessimistic.
And over-dramatic.
Such is I.

Back to the topic at hand, I am currently working hard on the game, and I feel I have come close to solving the fight issue(s), and I am working on getting the embedding to work on the website.

That's all for now.

Insurmountable Waist High Fence

2009-10-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

They truly have a real life analogue.
I can see the destination but I lack the legs (or some kind of jumping mechanism).

If you don't know what a insurmountable waist high fence is, check here.

I know enough Java, but I haven't the design/development skills to, one might say, press 'A'.

Calauarn DevAir Flight 1:
Arriving from: Internet
ETA: 2010 (DELAYED)

What in Blazes!?!?!

2009-10-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

After some careful thinking, I realized that the eat bug was not alone. Not at all.
Turns out, the eat bug is just a daughter of a larger issue: the entire fight engine.

That's right, the entire fight engine is inherently and irreversibly flawed.
It will have to be purged at the soonest possible time.
Like right now.

At the moment it looks like it will be replaced by a more OOP oriented system.

It could all go horribly horribly wrong.

haHA!

2009-10-12T21:02:00.001-07:00

0.001 alpha (unstable/potentially unusable) is available for download at the new site! ^

2009-09-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

Class? In My .JAR? More Likely Than You Think.

2009-09-21T21:09:00.000-07:00

...
Or so it supposedly works.
Once I get it faskdhjgbsa-ing figured out, the game will go right into that lovely spot above the blog posts. Convenience. I know.

Also, I got to the end of the maze...
And nothing happens.
Haha.

I have no idea. Srs.

2009-09-15T19:49:00.001-07:00

Hey guys, y'know what's awesome? If you've got a Google account you can FOLLOW OUR BLOG.

Awesome, right? I know :3

Also, I'm now importing this blog into my Facebook, I dunno about Myspace yet but I don't think I will.

So while Aarqon's off getting ready for college I'm just here learning C++ (woo computer science is ridiculously easy), overusing words like ridiculous, and coughing my lungs up. I've been sick the past week or so, it got way worse over the weekend and I stayed home from school yesterday. The day off was nice but catching up is just... Ugh, it's annoying. Let's leave it as I hate missing school because catching up is so annoying.
If someone measured how much snot I output in a day...
Oh f it let's just say I'd be real scared. Especially considering how drippy I am right now :(

God, I hate being sick.

Anyways, football season is already three games in. TR is still undefeated (woo) andd I want to kill myself so I don't have to do flags anymore. I get emo during band now BECAUSE I HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO PLAY IN WEEKS.
I signed up to play. Not to wave a flag around. I know it's way more work than that (FFS I DO IT) and that I shouldn't be complaining but I am because I'd much rather be playing.
/rant

For homecoming this year I'm ditchin my school's and going to Aarqon's :3 which means I get to see friends I haven't seen since 8th grade. Wooo :D
Also, Aarqon needs to tell SOOOOO many people I know from his school hi. I'mma give him a list one day and tell him "Just run around and find them and tell them I say hi. Or I kill you like Achmed." Or something like that. 'Course, the murder is joking (god if you're stupid enough you need me to explain that just...bah I'd get in trouble. Nvm.)

Whatever. I'm done babbling. Until October, my lovelies!
(Oh, forums are also under construction :3)

~Azure, the notoriously unreliable Forum Overlord
(also: http://youtube.com/azurefirem and http://azibel.deviantart.com :3)

WHAAAAT?!

2009-09-09T18:12:00.000-07:00

"If Azure is the Forum Overlord, I get to be the Minister of the Board of Meats and Cheeses. Yeah."

Okay. Whatever.
Aarqon is sitting next to me RAWR'ing about how I never update ;-;
Well I'm updating! HAH. SO THERE.
So anyways, I'm currently in the computer science PRE-AP class at my school and I'm learning C++ and I'm surprisingly good at it. Maybe Calauarn will become C++ as well as Java, only time will tell. I like C++ but almost prefer Java, C++ uses weird characters that Java hardly uses (<<>>) and I dun liek dem.

Enough internetspeak, we're working on getting forums, we're fighting over invisionfree vs phpbb3 vs other free forum hosts. I'm really pushing for Invisionfree, as I know how to use the admin panels on there and Aarqon doesn't really have any say in the matter as he has like no forums knowledge. More than likely that's what it'll be.
Yes I know about Zetaboards. I have one. It's defunct and I'm not really a big fan of it. The admin control panel is rather difficult for me, I know Invisionfree and that's what we're getting. Fo if you don't like it.

So, with that said and done I have a Steam account (thanks to my bro Jose :D ) and I play CS:S on the Corruption server :D
other than that, I'm Azurefirem on both Newgrounds and Youtube, I think the Sims 1 has the best game music of all time, and Roller Coaster Tycoon is made of win.

Wait, I think I've gotten a bit off-track. Isn't this supposed to be a blog about our game? Well that's Aarqon's domain not mine :D And he's updated y'all on it enough.
With that....
<33s,
Azure :)

I Lied. Twice.

2009-09-05T18:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I found time to work on the game (FIRST LIE) and I haven't made any purty art (SECOND LIE). I am currently testing it as an embeddable applet (because I know it works as a standalone). In the future, it might be available both for download (labeled as x.xxe where 'e' stands for 'executable') and online play (labeled x.xxo where 'o' stands for 'online'). Perhaps I am anticipating some duality here? I know not.

Officially, the game is still in version 0.01e. Still working on the internally notorious "eat bug". I will not say how it comes about.

I also don't know what happens when you win. I haven't done it yet. :P

The Days Ahead

2009-08-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like development will be on hiatus for a few months.
I have recently acknowledged a pressing need to write several of the ever-notorious college essays, that is, if I even want to go to college at all (READ: yes, yes indeedy).
On top of the absolute literature that must flow forth from the recesses of my mind, I am also studying for the Math SAT (woefully relevant to programming) and a second go at the standard (if equally odious) SAT, both of which are taking place in October. Couple that with regular schoolwork (of which I am not expecting much, but quite a lot could happen in 3 months), and I'm suddenly not entirely sure I'm going to leave my house. EVER.

Until about December 1st, whence my actual studies will end and I will (presumably) resume the development of Calauarn (or Blue Shift Alpha, or Purple Phantom Unlimited, or whatever we're calling it).

...

Damn, I'm tired.

Silly am I.

2009-08-22T14:35:00.001-07:00

Due to a lack of foresight on my part, I didn't bring the working copy of the game and it's files with me. So, not much will happen until I get home. Just a heads up.

Also, maybe some luverly game art up soon if I get inspired.

SECOND POST !!11111!!!!!!1!1!0

2009-08-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

Haha! Aarqon here from South America. Just checking in on the new blog, and making promises to have it embeddable by September! Or tomorrow! I don't really know!
...
If Azure is the Forum Overlord, I get to be the Minister of the Board of Meats and Cheeses. Yeah.

First Post!

2009-08-20T20:04:00.000-07:00

So, welcome to the Calauarn blog. I'm Azure, posting this as the Creative Director and the Supreme Forum Overlord (As soon as we get a forum I get this title. Lol.) I'm making this blog to tell you what's going on with the Calauarn team.

Right now, we've got Version 0.1 ready to go, as soon as we tweak the code to make it embeddable we'll have it up on the site. We're going to start work on a forum so we can hear your suggestions. And we're also working on embedding multiple things into the game -- a storyline's already been thought out. All that's left is implementation of it.

In the real-life side of things, Aarqon has been inactive due to visiting his dad in Bogota (that's in Colombia, if you didn't know) and Azure's been busy with marching band. As soon as marching season is over she'll be back with the game full-time, for now she's part-time and easily available through text if you know her in real life.

More about the beloved admins will come later, for now just be impressed we have a blog, eh? :)

--Azure